Writing Prompt #20 The Monster Under My Bed

The door to the closet rattled. Usually, it only shook during the day when the trains went by but it was dark outside and I had been asleep for a while.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up against the pillow watching the door, the shaking got more violent as if someone or something was trying to get in.

I noticed my toe peeking out the side of the cover and quickly hid it back under the sheets, the last thing I wanted right now was for the boogie monster to grab me and pull me into his lair. Or maybe I did. Maybe the boogie monster could help me defeat the monster in the closet.

Nervous, I peeked my toe out of the bed, the toe gradually became my foot and then finally my leg. I felt butterflies in my stomach as the breeze from the window blew onto my exposed leg.

I watched as the green webbed claw crept from beneath the dark depths, snaking up towards my ankle. It closed its fist around my ankle, slowly and surely, and when I was sure he had a tight grip I pulled with all my might, yanking the monster from whatever dark depths it hid.

It was hideous. A half lizard, half man creature that reminded me of the colourless film my dad had shown me once about a man in a lagoon when mum had been out doing some shopping.

“How dare you pull me from my slumber.” The voice hissed. It was wet, like trying to talk underwater.

The door rattled angrily again behind the creature, making him turn.

“There is only room for one monster in this bedroom.”

The creature stalked toward the door, yanking it open and nearly off its hinges to reveal darkness. It was only the eyes I could see, glowing white, that made me realise the creature was there.

There was a hushed silence as the white eyes were wide as he saw the creature on the other side of the door.

“Oh. Sorry. I had this bedroom down as uninhabited.”

The white eyed creature pulled out a clipboard from seemingly thin air, making notes with black whispy air that resembled candyfloss.

“I’ll leave you two alone.”

And with that, he left. The webbed lizard creature shut the door with a sigh, mumbling something under his breath about not being able to get the staff these days and turned to face me.

I felt my breath catch in my throat. What was he planning to do now he had me alone?

He lay down on the floor next to the bed and began easing himself under the frame.

“I’m far too tired to scare you tonight kid. Go back to sleep.”

The creature disappeared into the darkness. At least tonight I knew I was safe.

In the morning I will get mummy to use her special monster repellent in both the closet and under the bed.

N.B This week I wanted to write from a child’s perspective and how they interpret the boogie monster. My aim with this piece was to suggest that it may all be a figment of their imagination because of the nods to films like The Creature From The Black Lagoon. The white eyes could have been a night light or some other imagination trigger.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s writing prompt. Let me know what you thought in the comments below.